From 20 May 2025, online garden-waste subscriptions in Washington, Tyne and Wear, will automatically renew each year, Sunderland City Council says. The council says this means the payment for the 2026 subscription will be taken soon after the final garden-waste collections for 2025 finish, using the card details saved on the subscriber’s account.
The council’s online materials show conflicting figures for 2025: a February 2025 council press release and the sign-up page list the 2025 fee as £38.50 per bin, while the council’s Terms and Conditions page currently states £40.00 for 2025. Reporters should verify the final published price with the council before publication. The council says the 2026 payment will be charged using the card details you provided when you most recently signed up, and will be taken soon after the final 2025 collections are completed (the council’s schedule shows the final collection for customers who signed up by 28 February 2025 as 14 November 2025).
Subscribers can turn off auto‑renewal in their online My Account. The council’s guidance says you can manage (switch off) auto‑renewal any time between January and August while the subscription window is open, and that you will receive a reminder email before any payment is taken. Under the council’s Terms and Conditions, customers have the right to cancel their subscription within 14 days of signing up and receive a refund provided no collections have been made; if a collection has occurred or 14 days has expired, no refund will be offered.
To guarantee all 17 fortnightly collections in 2025, residents are asked to sign up before 28 February 2025. Collections start on 25 March 2025 and run fortnightly until mid‑November. The council says nearly 30,000 households typically subscribe to the brown‑bin service, and that the auto‑renewal system is intended to reduce administrative work and help ensure uninterrupted collections.
